The Federal Government has introduced a ₦50,000 cash relief intervention for poor and vulnerable households across the country as part of efforts to cushion the effects of rising living costs and food inflation.
The initiative, known as the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), was announced on Friday by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro.
According to the minister, the programme is designed to provide immediate financial assistance to millions of vulnerable Nigerians and strengthen household resilience amid prevailing economic challenges.
Under the intervention, eligible beneficiaries will receive ₦50,000 directly through their bank accounts or mobile wallets.
Doro explained that the ministry was working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure the secure and transparent delivery of the funds.
He said selected beneficiaries would receive text messages from authorised payment providers requesting their consent before the payments are processed.
The minister added that the intervention would complement existing Federal Government social protection programmes and would be reviewed periodically in response to changes in the cost of living.
He stressed that beneficiaries were not required to submit applications, pay registration fees or engage agents to access the support.
Doro, however, warned Nigerians against fraudsters seeking to exploit the programme, advising them not to disclose their personal identification numbers, one-time passwords or Bank Verification Numbers to anyone.
He urged individuals uncertain about messages relating to the intervention to contact the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222 for verification.
The minister said the initiative reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to reducing economic hardship and supporting vulnerable households under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
